Performance Issue with Dock

[socamx]

One thing has been bugging me a lot lately about the Dock. I keep my most frequent applications right out in front of me in my dock, and I stuck in the Applications folder on the right side (along with others).

Here's the issue, when I need to use that odd application I right click the Apps folder in my dock, and I wait close to 20 to 30 seconds for the contextual menu to pop up due to the loading of the icons. I have a bunch of odds and ends apps that I rarely use but once in awhile *do* need.

I have tried in the past to turn off the icons next to the application names, but that makes it take longer to visually recognize the app I want.

Is there a way to tweak the dock to make it open with the icons missing next to the applications but slowly loads them as it can? This way I can still open the menu fast and it loads the icons in real time.

Apple File Sharing does a similar thing. When I connect to my G5 and say, go to its apps folder, first I get the whole list of applications with generic icons then it slowly loads the icons over the network, letting me find the app or file I need while it loads them.

I really wish Apple would apply that same thing to the dock menus that open for folders. Sure it isn't a problem if you frequently open your folders, it gets cached to memory, but I *rarely* use them, so it almost never stays cached.

The same problem goes for the bookmarks menu, Safari pauses for a long while as it loads all the favicons.

It just makes my iBook feel slow and even my dual G5 feel slow.

 

[bartelby]

You could add 2 sub folders into the Apps folder and shift "not so often used" apps into one and "hardly ever used" ones into the other.

 

[socamx]

Yeah but doing that just adds more time to finding that folder, then waiting for its icons to load.

I have already done this with all my internet/network related apps into one folder. Helps a little but still there is an initial load to wait for.

 

[Osarkon]

Another option would be to use Quicksilver instead?

It's just a suggestion; I have the applications folder in my Dock but I rarely use it due to Quicksilver being faster for me.

 

[socamx]

hmm I dunno about Quicksilver, seems like it has an awful lot of features I wouldn't even touch upon.

I guess it is worth a shot though because I'm also not 100% sure of what it does do. I'll give it a shot some day possibly.

I just wish there was a way to tweak either the Finder/Safari's preferences to load the menus and load icons in real time (or a system-wide way to do that).

Maybe I should just try creating more sub-folders in the Apps folder, just a bit worried if any of the apps will get confused by being moved. Some don't work at all if they aren't in the Applications folder.

Then this means more folders to add to the dock or navigate through the main apps folder.. argh. I lose either way I guess. Maybe I just need to be patient and not let it bug me...

 

[Osarkon]

Maybe I should just try creating more sub-folders in the Apps folder, just a bit worried if any of the apps will get confused by being moved. Some don't work at all if they aren't in the Applications folder.

Then this means more folders to add to the dock or navigate through the main apps folder.. argh. I lose either way I guess. Maybe I just need to be patient and not let it bug me...

Why not use Alias's in the sub folders?

 

[emptyCup]

Make folders in your Applications folder. For example, put all your utility programs in a Utilities folder. When you Right-Click (or just click and hold) on your Applications folder in the Dock, only the folder name will be displayed. Selecting and holding on a sub-folder will display its contents in a hierarchical menu.

Favicons are stored in Library/Safari/Icons. Rename this folder and make a new one named Icons. Do a Get Info on the Icon folder and under Ownership & Permissions make it Read Only.

This should help. Best wishes.

 

[socamx]

Oskaron: While it is a good idea (which I've also already used for some apps that don't want to be moved), that would still leave the originals cluttering up the main Applications folder, thus still take forever to open.

emptyCup: I've also done this to an extent, like a 'Net Apps' folder I have, but being on a laptop it becomes a bit tedious to have to navigate subfolders (be it via arrow keys or with the track pad). So the trade-off kind of negates the speed-up benefits.

It works good for a desktop with a mouse, where it isn't so tedious going through sub-menus and accidental input knocking you out of the menus though.

As for completely blocking the Safari favicons from being made, from a usability standpoint that would make it take longer to recognize certain links/sites at a glance. So again the trade-off of more speed would just be lost with time spent looking for the one I want.

Thanks for the help and suggestions though guys. Starting to think this is something Apple would have to change on their end though. Guess I'm just going to have to live with creating sub-folders for now then.

 

[coogee]

+1 for Quicksilver. Just an easier version of Spotlight if nothing else. second guess tpyos and the like.

 

[polycat33]

I wouldn't worry about Quicksilver having too many options you don't use. I really only use it to launch stuff and it's great, a lot less steps, just click the shortcut key and then start typing the name of the application, you don't have to click, wait, search through a list. Although I think maybe you could get a different program without so many options that you wouldn't use that does this same thing. I've heard Butler compared to Quicksilver as doing the same thing for launching stuff, don't know if has less extra stuff or not though.